Marriage is a holy relationship created and blessed by God. It’s a union He designed specifically because He loves us. However, marriages are under attack by an enemy who opposes everything God does. It’s up to us as believers to stand on our authority and ensure that God, not our own selfishness, is at the center of the relationship.
Many marriages today end in divorce; because of this, we see couples questioning whether they even need to get married before moving in together. There’s a way of thinking that tolerates spousal unfaithfulness, and some people treat marriage as a “revolving door” type relationship. This is the work of the devil. Marriage God’s way perfectly complements two people, and is something that lasts.
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him…” So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one (Genesis 2:18, 21-24, NLT).
Many people’s concept of marriage is backward. Typically, there is great celebration at the engagement announcement, a large and expensive wedding followed by a party-themed reception, and then everyone goes back to their daily lives. In reality, the weeks, months, and years after the ceremony are what’s really important. When we embark on a spiritual journey like marriage, making God the center of the relationship strengthens and sustains it. “There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2).
In the Bible, we read about Jesus attending a wedding in a city in Galilee. The significant thing is that His presence was specifically requested. “Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding” (John 2:2, NKJV). On request, He performed the miracle of turning water into wine, which was His way of blessing the relationship. The takeaway here is that Jesus won’t barge in to our marriage without being asked, but He definitely is needed to bring the relationship to a higher level.
Marriage is an exercise in selflessness. The advice to newlyweds to put their spouse first seems simple until they experience the inevitable storms of disagreement that hit every relationship. When Jesus was crossing the sea in a boat with His disciples and a storm blew in, He spoke to the storm and calmed it. “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). Letting God’s Word navigate choppy waters gives us a peaceful marriage.
Popular culture has no idea how to make marriages succeed. For a realistic view of this relationship, we must clear the stars out of our eyes. Even with the best of intentions, husbands and wives are bound to make mistakes. When we put God first and prioritize all else after Him, He can turn our mistakes into something good and cause everything to fall into place.